In the family room, Casey removed heavy crown moulding, then coated the panelling and built-in oak bookcases in a contemporary blue-grey shade. A 9′ long custom sofa and lipstick-red womb chair by Eero Saarinen make it a welcoming retreat.

In this contemporary home by architect David Zacharko, the open shelving behind the living room’s big sectional was designed with beauty and brains: it houses loads of books, puzzles and games, plus cubbies to show off select vases. Lightweight bamboo shelves add a natural touch and keep the white from looking sterile, while bright pillows add colour.

Designer Scott Yetman and his partner, Jean Michel Lavoie, call this Ralph Lauren-inspired room in their Knowlton, Quebec weekend home the “winter room.” With its cosy charcoal walls, rows of books and plush furniture — including a sofa Yetman designed himself — it’s the ideal place to spend a snowy afternoon.

A table and custom glass-fronted cabinets with antique hardware give this room a modern-meets-vintage look.

Electronics like this LG 47″ Blu-ray TV and sound system from Radiant Audio Design make the 2011 Princess Margaret Showhome truly state of the art. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the original Barcelona table in 1930, and it’s still as fresh today as it was then.

These clever bookcases run the entire perimeter of this open-concept room, offering storage without cluttering up or breaking sight lines. At only 27” tall, these open shelves are perfect for storing books and curios, freeing up concealed storage areas for less aesthetically pleasing objects. Be sure to limit the number of pieces placed on top of the bookcases to maintain the open feeling.

A dining room wall is cleverly turned into a mini-library. Designer Chris Lischkoff disguised vertical ductwork with a built-in bookcase. Shallow shelves in front of the awkward element act as picture rails. Really short on space? Make use of deep window ledges, too.

Unexpected lawn-green walls add bold personality to this den. The back panels of the bookshelves are painted a deep aquamarine blue for a dramatic effect. Hits of red, orange and brown add warmth and play off the various wood tones in the room.

Use multiple white glass cabinets as bookshelves to create a cohesive, modern library space.

“Graphic designer Nicole Balch (author of Making It Lovely) created an impressive at-home library by doing a full wall of simple (inexpensive!) bookcases with glass doors,” says Apartment Therapy‘s managing editor, Janel Laban. “By setting them up in multiples, they create much more impact and give the room a real sense of style, purpose and visual interest.”